ah yes Timesplitters my alltime favorite FPS, they better make a new one for this gen-DirtySanchez-

The reason I talked about time splitters is because Haze is made by the same people - and if you look at what they want to do with multi-player, and what they've learned about making a comprehensive single player experience, this could well be even better.

Main points of interest:

- Choices are highly emphasized, with players determining how much Nectar to use and when, with this having both positive and negative consiquences (especially if you OD).

- how the above reflects multi-player, especially with resistance skills including some that instantly OD a Mantel soldier.

- 4 player any-time online coop

- multi-player inspired by Timesplitters.

I can see this being the underrated FPS classic that timesplitters was. (underrated in that people think Halo had a good multi-player, and yet you dont see many people talking about TS and TS2)

Killzone 1 was a terrible terrible game. I have NO IDEA why people keep hyping Killzone - even if its graphics turn out to match the trailer (which they wont - but perhaps come close).

Timesplitters, however, was quite fun, and Haze looks to add a new feel to FPS multiplayer, especially on consoles (nectar vs anti-nectar). Haze - although it may not look as good, will almost certainly be the pick of the two.

Review: http://au.gamespot.com/ps2/action/timesplitters2/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review

Quote: "TimeSplitters 2 may very well be the best split-screen multiplayer-focused first-person shooter ever created." - Jeff Gerstmann

Jeez, you can be berated by hardware nuts as much as you want, but the fact is, unless you're a graphics nut, there is simply no reason to upgrade your PC at the moment.

There are plenty of games on the horizon for th PC, I guess, but they can all be played with a midrange card at medium settings such that they run at decent framerates. Games aren't about the graphics, they're about the fun.

I'm a playstation nut myself, but in the end, what it comes down to is - your buying a gfx card (if you're replacing a decent one with a flagship model) does not expand your gaming experience one bit. Plus, chances are, unless you're very much into very large scale, mouse controlled strategy games (sup com, world in conflict, etc) and FPSs, and nothing else, you're wasting your money.

You dont need to go for a PS3, but go for a console in general. Buying a gfx card opens up your gaming possibilities to what? 10 more games? Buying a console opens your options to 100+ games by 1st quarter next year no matter which you pick.

And these include FPSs, RPGs, Racing games, casual games, and even a very high profile strategy game (End War).

PCs are the domain of graphics wh**es, please make the right choice.

As for which console to buy, research the type of games you like on each console before taking your pic. Whichever way you go, consoles simply have more AAA titles per year each than the PC, no matter what.

Also note that the vast majority of games are multi-platform, so that amazing FPS / whatever you're looking forward to is also coming out on the consoles, and chances are you'll be getting a higher and more stable framerate to boot.

I must admit I do have an interest in the business aspect of gaming industry but I also like to know about the latest and greatest happening in the in the gaming world. The reason I don't listen to gamespot's podcast is more of a personal choice. Jeff really annoys me and in general I find GS personalities uninteresting, annoying, empty or all three at the same time.

Natural_Mystic

Lol, I actually like their personalities - they're remind me of my friends (loud, opinionated, love "dishing out smack"). Especially jeff (and his hilarious sign-off at the end of every episode, I have no idea how he can shout for that long).

More importantly, I definitely respect all of their opinions, Rich is closest to a casual gamer, jeff is more of a "hardcore gamer" (ie yes, he breaks bricks over his face while playing tekken 5 with his feet "hardcore" - dw, he hates that word) and the others are just cool.

In general, the business aspect of the games industry is interesting, I agree, but then, I gain my knowledge about it through actual experience in other businesses, as I'm in the aeronautical engineering industry by trade.

Yup, I just looked though your selection, and can see that you prefer podcasts centralising on the state of the games industry - whereas I prefer to listen to topical podcasts on the latest news, trends and opinions of gamers on gaming.

I exclaimed "what on earth?" as you dont listen to the gamespot podcast, and yet are obviously a gamespot poster.

EDIT: err - just to clarify before I go eat breakfast;

I honestly don't like listening to people talking about things I already know, such as how the mass media effects the way games are produced and so forth. I also definitely don't need to hear analysts justifying themselves (such as the latest issue of gamasutra) - nor do I care for company execs answering questions, as this is almost always pure diplomatic bile no matter how candid they appear to be.

I do, however, like listening to a bunch of people who have stood on the sidelines of the gaming industry for a long time voicing their opinions on news stories, as this tends to be more indicative of how these stories reflect the industry as a whole - and gives perspective. Perspective is also the reason I listen to different podcasts on the same news from different people (ign's take on news compared to PS3 Fanboy's, compared to Gamespot's compared to the [Australian] Good Game's). Again, I prefer to draw information through compare, contrast and reflection rather than being told.

Oh, and on Gamespot's podcast being bad, the fact that they actually voice the current consumer thoughts on news and games, while keeping it fun, is what I love about it. The same goes for PS3 Fanboy. (eg: last week when asked what the group of PS3 owners were currently playing, they all said they weren't playing anything on the PS3 - as there were no games to play). That said, 1up is ok.

Industry opinions are all fine and dandy, however, what matters to me is consumer opinions - as we are all consumers, and it is the opinion of the masses which decide how things progress from here. Ie - I like looking to the future rather than the past - and news covers the present.

In general, I'm not saying that those who listen to more "in depth" and "meaningful" podcasts do not hold the same values and/or perspectives. What I am saying is, although there is a difference in what content we individually like to analyse to form personal opinions (and what form that content comes in), this should not discredit any particular group of people. Unless they're execs and analysts.

What on earth? The gaming podcasts I listen to are:

IGN "Game Scoop!" - (and I'll be listening to their playstation podcast which starts next week)

Gamespot's "The HotSpot" - (rich, jeff, alex and co are my gods)

PS3 Fanboy's "Playstation Fancast"

and I watch the Good Game vodcast.

Thanks for posting that!

Amazing read - I love the interplay between the PS3 engineers and other departments within sony - especially hearing that they worked with the amp group to up sound quality on the machine. Wow.

Things like this really show how much attention to detail these guys are going into - but then, are they really paying attention to customers? Not stooping to offering codec compatibility as a downloadable feature is a mistake in my opinion.

But mainly, this really does enlighten us to the fact that there are more than one team working on PS3 updates by the sounds of it - those focusing on the UI and those focusing on media processing are two, I wonder how many more there are?

Ah well, cant wait to see what those new features down the road will be.

Yup,m the PSN is a work in progress, - the entire ideology of Sony for this generation is the concept of a '10 year relationship'.

Effectively, this stems from the playstation 1 which enjoyed a good 9/10 years of high sales before fading out for the PS2, which is in its 7th year with still more games coming out for it. (a good place to get brushed up on this, which is actually quite relevant to the topic of discussion is IGN's latest AFK podcast - although it may be blasphemy to mention them on a GS board, heh)

The result of this mentality is the PS3 being, not a console which comes out of the box and is everything they want from it, but instead, a console which quite literally starts small and grows. "The ever evolving console over the 10 year planned life span", in short. This has being reinforced in almost every Sony statement ever (pointing towards the E3 2005/2006, TGS 2005/2006, GDC 2006/2007, Gamers Days and D.I.C.E.s press conferences, keynotes and interviews).

So if you look at how it's progressing, the rate at which the PS3 and PSP features are evolving over time is vastly accelerated compared to other platforms. We get completely new functionality every half year, and this is with these major updates not being viewed as features they have had to catch up on, but features which are released when "the time is right".

Such a feature is indeed Home. Home has been hinted to be more than just Second Life with prettier graphics. If it does well, it is aiming at becoming a fully fledged online gaming lounge (with full matchmaking and game-lobby features) with extensive media distribution ability.

We're going to see - again, if it does well - TV shows, music videos, and perhaps even movies being streamed through the Home medium. Additionally, advertising wont be limited to McDonald's - I can fully imagine campaigns beginning in some developer's space (such as Kratos' temple which I hope IS going to be built in Home), telling people to be in the main lobby at X time, where a trailer will be screened on those massive TVs.

IE it CAN be everything the other consoles are offering and more.

So what we're currently doing with the PSN is comparing the equivalent of xbox live! marketplace to xbox live! and saying "dude, where's the functionality?"

The PSN is an evolving entity, and the first steps towards a comprehensive space haven't started yet, but will with the beginning of Home.

You cant really top CNET when it comes to simplistic explanations of this stuff - try this link on for size.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5137915-1.html?tag=main.understand